Chapter IV

The Expedition leaves Kayaye — Difficulty in procuring Water at Jaroomy — Arrival and Halt at Coonting — Description of that Town and surrounding Country — Civility of the Chief — Departure from Coonting — Deaths among the Animals, and difficulty of procuring Carriers — Arrival at the Wallea Creek — Attempt of some People to stop us — Pass the Creek — Cane Bridge — Attempt at Murder by one of our native Civilians, and his Desertion — Enter the Kingdom of Woolli — Arrival at Madina, the Capital — Transactions and Difficulties there — Description of the Town, and the Mumbo Jumbo Ceremony — Departure from Madina, and theft by the Natives — Arrival at Kussaye.

The first division[7] left Kayaye on the morning of the 27th, at seven o’clock, and the second and third[8] followed immediately after. I did not myself leave Kayaye until evening, in expectation of the arrival of the camels. This not taking place, I moved forward, with the part of that division which was ready, and left Mr. Partarrieau, with two loads, to await the arrival of those left behind by Bon-ama, and to follow me as soon as possible. We travelled along nearly east at the rate of two miles an hour over a flat country thinly covered with baobabs, tamarinds, rhamnus lotus, and other fruit trees, within a short distance of the river; between us and which lay a low tract of land, annually inundated, where rice is cultivated by the natives when the water retires after the periodical rains.

About nine, P.M., we reached a small village, called Jaroomy, where I found that Mr. Dochard had halted the front divisions in order to await our coming up. During this short march, one of the horses died, and another was left behind, unable to move.

Here difficulties began to present themselves; the chief of the village refused to allow water to be drawn from the wells, without receiving payment for it, to which Mr. Dochard, very prudently, would not submit, sending the animals to the river, which was distant about two miles. This convinced the fellow that he was wrong; and he came in the evening to apologize, by saying, that he was afraid the wells would be run dry by us. He was told his excuse was a bad one, and his conduct was such as would prevent us from giving him any thing.

The country, for some distance round this village, has the marks of cultivation; there were some extensive cotton and indigo plantations; and, although no rain falls at that season, they looked green and well. The soil, though sandy, appeared good, and well fitted to produce all tropical grains, vegetables, &c. in perfection.

We left Jaroomy at six o’clock on the 26th, and travelled east over a gently ascending country, beautifully wooded, until half-past seven, when we came to a small town called Jonkaconda, inhabited by Bushreens, and very prettily situated on a little hill under the shade of some few large trees, somewhat resembling the horse chestnut, except that the trunk is covered with large sharp protuberances in the shape of thorns. It produces a quantity of silky cotton, in pods of an oval shape, about five inches long and four in circumference; these burst when ripe, and contain each about half an ounce of this cotton. The natives do not make any use of it; they prefer the common cotton, from which they manufacture all their clothes. There the path turned a little to the south of east, and led us over a country similar to that already mentioned, with this difference, that the wood was rather closer.

At half after eight, we reached another small village (Lemaine), the chief of which, a good-looking young man, was very civil, and made us a present of some palm wine, in return for which we gave him three bars in amber beads, &c. He paid us a visit at our bivouac under some shady trees. He was attended by about fifteen people, preceded by a _Jallikea_, singing man, vociferating the praises of his master, who, although very communicative and good-humoured, did not seem to have a mean idea of himself. The river is distant from this village a mile and a half, SSW.

After a few hours’ rest to the men and animals, and of which all were much in need, particularly the horses, we moved forward at two, P.M., and reached Coonting at half after five, all much fatigued. We passed two small villages, likewise, at the foot of some hills, and distant from each other about two miles and a half. Their general appearance was extremely neat and comfortable, and the ground about them appeared well cultivated. Some large enclosures of cotton and indigo, were extremely well-looking, and shewed much regularity. The path, for the most part of the way, was extremely narrow and inconvenient, in consequence of the closeness of the wood, which is low and stunted, the soil being a mixture of dark red sand, and small iron stone gravel, large masses of which rose above the surface in all directions. The face of the country was, in general, covered with low wood, except in the vicinity of the towns, where it has been cleared, either for the purpose of cultivation or for fuel.

Coonting is a considerable town, partly surrounded with a mud wall, about six feet high. It is in three divisions, each separated from the other by a clear space of about two hundred yards, in which stand some fine large evergreen trees, in whose shade the natives spend the most part of the day, engaged in conversation, playing a game somewhat resembling draughts, at which they are very clever, and sleeping, a very general recreation in that country. Here also is held the assembly of the head men and chiefs, when any matter of importance requires their attention. Each of those divisions is governed by a head man, who is under the control of a chief, subject to the king of Katoba. The town is pleasantly situate in an extensive plain, and bears the marks of cultivation to a considerable distance, surrounded on all sides, except the SW., by gently rising hills, covered with wood. The town is plentifully supplied with water of a good quality, from wells nine fathoms deep, at the bottoms of which is a stratum of solid rock.

Here we decided on waiting the arrival of Mr. Partarrieau with the camels, as the place afforded an abundance of forage and water for the animals, and an opportunity of procuring a small quantity of rice, pistacios, cassada, and small beans, for ourselves. The chief priest of the town paid us a visit, making a present of a fowl and two bottles of milk, or, as they call it, giving us service, that is a complimentary visit, which we returned in the evening. We found him seated in a large circular mud hut, surrounded by about twenty five boys, from the age of seven to fourteen, learning to read and write Arabic. The Koran was the only book from which they were taught, and their education was generally considered completed when they could read and expound any passage in it. The most of the people there are Mahomedans.

The old gentleman received us kindly, and conducted us to the Alcaid, or chief, a venerable looking old man, who, on our informing him of the object of our travelling in his country, said that he perfectly recollected seeing Mr. Park when he last went to the east, but was extremely sorry to hear he never returned to his own country, a fate which he prayed to God might not be ours. We made him a small present, and one to the priest, for which they appeared very grateful. Two of the European and one of the native soldiers had attacks of intermittent fever this day, but were nevertheless able to come on.

Mr. Partarrieau joined us in the afternoon, bringing with him only one camel; the other having died before it reached Kayaye, he was obliged to hire men to carry that proportion of the baggage left behind, which was intended as a load for it.

We left Coonting at four o’clock on the morning of the 28th, and travelled east. Two of the horses were unable to rise from the ground this morning, and were left to their fate. At about a mile from Coonting, we entered a thicket composed of underwood and cane, which was so close that we were obliged to cut down the branches and some trees, for a considerable distance, in order to admit of the camels passing with the loads. The face of the country begins to rise here considerably, and to be diversified by hill and dale—the former high and covered with wood, and the latter apparently very fertile. The soil, too, changed from light sand to a hard yellow clay, intermixed with small quartz pebbles. For about two miles the road led us over hilly and broken ground within a few yards of the river side.

At mid-day we reached a small walled town, Kolicorri, but which had such a wretched appearance that we were deterred from halting at it; we therefore continued our march ESE. about two miles further, when we arrived at Tandicunda, a very respectable town, defended by a strong stake fence interwoven with thorny bushes, and wholly inhabited by Bushreens. Two more of the horses gave up during this march, and were left on the path in a dying state. To transport the loads of those animals we were obliged to hire carriers, a sufficient number of which we had much difficulty in procuring. Our own men were obliged to assist. The town of Pisania, which formerly stood within a short distance of Tandicunda, was then a heap of ruins, having been some years since abandoned by Mr. Amsley, in consequence of the annoyance he frequently experienced from the people of Bondoo and Woolli. Its situation was extremely beautiful, being close to the river-side, on an elevated spot shaded with large trees, and most conveniently placed for commercial purposes.

We left Tandicunda at five o’clock on the morning of the 29th, and travelled to the east, over a country beautifully diversified, to Samee, a small walled town containing about a hundred and twenty huts. The inhabitants are Sonikeas or Pagans. Dyeing with indigo is here carried on to some extent. About a quarter of a mile to the south-east, by a small creek or branch of the Gambia, its water good and plentiful, we halted, under a large tree, which afforded the most grateful shelter to all from the excessive heat of the sun. One of our moors had so severe an attack of remittent fever as to be unable to keep up; one of the native civilians was left with him.

When the intense heat of the sun had diminished in a small degree, we again moved forward to the ENE. over an open and well-cultivated country. We saw, at a short distance, on the right of our path, a Foolah encampment. Some of the women and children, the latter entirely naked, came close to the path, and stared with astonishment at our white skins, and not less so at the camels, which appeared to excite much wonder. The animals were much fatigued, and many of them in a very weak state. We arrived at Jindey, a small village situate on an eminence, within less than a quarter of a mile west from the Wallia Creek. Here we halted under some large trees south of the village, for the night, having travelled to-day about fifteen miles. We had scarcely placed the tentmills, and retired to rest, when one of our guides came from the village to say, that a number of Foolahs had just arrived there, and from some part of their conversation he had overheard, he was inclined to think they had an intention of endeavouring to steal some of our horses during the night. Had such really been their wish or not, I cannot say, but the morning arrived without any attempt of the kind being made. It was more than probable our guide only circulated such a report, in order to make his attention to our interest appear to greater advantage, and which he, naturally enough, supposed would entitle him to, or at least, induce us to give him, an adequate reward.

The chief of Wallia (a province of Katoba, but over which the king has little control) lives about five miles south of this place. As he was a person of some consequence in the country, and might be of use, we sent him our compliments, with a present of eight bars in tobacco, amber, and beads, and, having made the chief of Jindey another, we moved towards the Creek at six o’clock on the morning of the 30th, but had not proceeded one hundred yards, when the horses in front were stopped by some people, stating that they were sent by the Wallia chief, to say, that unless we would pay him his regular customs, in the same way as the vessels which ascend the river on trading voyages, we should not be allowed to proceed. We laughed at the idea of three or four men saying they would not allow us to pass, and told them we had already despatched a messenger to their master, with a present, and to which we would make an addition of four bars for themselves. This was not satisfactory enough, and they again insinuated that we should not move until the chief himself should arrive. We ordered the whole to halt, and the men to load their muskets; we asked where were those people who wished to dispute our passage? None appearing, we moved on without further molestation to the Creek, which we reached in about twenty minutes. The tide was nearly full, but still running up at the rate of about a mile per hour.

There is over this creek, which is about two hundred and sixty feet wide, four feet deep, with clay and mud bottom, a cane bridge, supported by two rows of forked stakes, on which are laid cross pieces; these are covered with small pieces of Bamboo, which, further strengthened by being interwoven with the smaller branches of the cane, affords a safe, though shaking passage for two or three people on foot. The banks of the creek are covered with a kind of mangrove, some acacias, and a great number of the mimosas. Having unloaded the animals, and led them through the water to the opposite side, the men waded across, carrying the baggage on their heads, which was completed without any accident in about an hour. From the eastern bank, where we halted to cook dinner and give the men an opportunity to wash their clothes, I had a very good view of the bridge, the village, and the surrounding country; the latter, though much parched from the total want of rain for many months, and the almost continued influence of the dry east wind, accompanied by a scorching sun, has not altogether lost its verdure. Great numbers of evergreen trees and shrubs, afford a pleasing and refreshing relief to the eye, wearied from beholding a light coloured sand reflecting the rays of a vertical sun unobstructed by clouds. The thermometer stood at 97° in the shade, open air, and at 80° in the water, which is very muddy, though sweet and good. There were fish in the creek, for I saw them rise. We do not know what species, but from the skeleton of one which had been devoured by a hawk, we concluded some of them to be catfish.

_Published by John Murray, London. April 1825._]

This creek joins the Gambia about five miles from where we crossed it, and is navigable for boats to twice that distance above the bridge, where, on both sides of it, are situate towns with which an advantageous trade in all the productions of the country might be carried on.

At half after four, the object of our halt being effected, we marched for Pakeba, distant three miles and a half, where we arrived at six, and halted for the night. The whole distance from the creek to this town is well cultivated; some enclosures of cotton and indigo had a flourishing appearance. The town is a small one, containing about one hundred and fifty huts, and defended by a strong mud wall, seven feet high, and a stake fence outside. The inhabitants are Sonikeas or Pagans, and are subject to Katoba, at least nominally so; for in Africa, the further a town is removed from the capital, the less control the king has over it, and, in almost all cases, those towns are exclusively governed by their own chiefs.

Our animals were daily diminishing in number, and there had not as yet appeared any opportunity of replacing them; four horses died, or were abandoned as useless, since our departure from Tandicunda, and many more would, I feared, soon follow. We had, however, but not without much difficulty, procured a few carriers from among the natives; and some of our own native soldiers and civilians took forward that part of the baggage for which we had no other means of conveyance.

One of the men from the Wallia chief came to our bivouac in the evening, and told us that his master was extremely sorry for what had taken place in the morning, and particularly so, as his people had no orders to that effect; he had only sent them to request that we might remain at Jindey until ten o’clock in the forenoon, at which hour he intended coming to pay us his respects.

We were enabled here to purchase two bullocks, together with a small quantity of rice and corn. The former cost fourteen bars each; value about one pound sterling.

We left Pakeba on the 1st of May, at six in the morning, and travelled NE. by E. until nine, when we reached Sandoo Madina. The path good, over a sandy soil, mixed with small iron-stone gravel, thinly covered with thorny underwood and dry grass. Two more horses were abandoned at Pakeba, as useless, and one left behind on the path. Our moor continued very unwell. In addition to fever, he had a very severe pulmonic attack, and on the whole so weak, that I almost despaired of his recovery.

At three in the morning, previous to leaving Pakeba, we were alarmed by screams, apparently of some person in agony. We immediately repaired to the spot, accompanied by some of the watch. There we found the wife of Yarra Comba, one of the native civilians from Sierra Leone, weltering in her blood, having received three very severe wounds on the head from her husband, who, exasperated at her refusing to desert with him (a step, he told her, he was about to take), and fearing, we supposed, that she would give the alarm, after thus brutally attempting to seal her lips, by taking her life, made his escape; in accomplishing which he succeeded, being favoured by a dark night, and an intricately wooded country.

The wounds appeared to be all but fatal; the exterior membrane of the brain, was visible in one of them, and the other two were very deep. When every attention in the dressing, &c., had been paid, and I found that there was no hope of getting hold of the savage who inflicted them, I sent her to the chief of the town, to whom we gave ten bars for her support, until she might be able to return to Kayaye. As an inducement to make this man act kindly to her, we gave him a further sum of ten bars for himself, and offered a handsome reward for the apprehension of her husband.

About three miles before we reached this town, we observed some stones of curious form and composed of red sand-stone, in which were encrusted small silicious pebbles. They had much the appearance of broken pillars; some were standing upright, and others lying flat on the surface. From the space inside them, and its form, which was an oblong square, we are inclined to think they must, at some former period, have supported a roof. The largest of them is as four feet in circumference, and seven feet high.

Sandoo Madina is a very small walled village, inhabited by Sonikeys, and is subject to Katoba, but more immediately under the control of the Wallia chief, who is himself nominally subject to the former. This subjection is however not easily defined: a slave running away from one finds an asylum with the other, who (on both sides) does not hesitate to acknowledge his having kept him in despite of the other’s remonstrances.

At a short distance to the NW. is a small unwalled Bushreen town called Coota Cunda; the water good and plentiful, and every appearance of extensive cultivation.

We received a visit from the chief of Jambaroo, a small independent province of Jaloff Woolli, situate about fifteen miles north of this village. We bought from him a small strong horse for eighty-five bars in amber and coral, the value of which did not exceed five pounds sterling. We made him a small present.

Corporal Richmond, a native, was added to the sick list, with a severe pulmonic attack. Some of the men who have had slight attacks of intermittent fever appear to recover rapidly; on the whole, the health of the party might be then considered good. Mr. Nelson was the only one of the officers who was at all delicate; Mr. Pilkington was recovering rapidly.

Having left Sandoo Madina at four o’clock in the morning of the 2d, we had a pleasant march to the next town, Fodia Cunda, the first of Woolli, which we reached at half after nine, having passed the ruins of two towns, both destroyed by the people of Bondoo in their wars with this country. The animals travelled very badly, being too heavily loaded, and which could not be avoided, in consequence of the very rapid decrease of their numbers, and the impossibility of replenishing them; five died or were abandoned this day’s march.

We here procured a plentiful supply of milk and butter, such as it was, and more than a sufficiency of corn to give the horses, camels, &c. as much as they could eat, and which they were much in want of, not having had more than one good feed since we left Kayaye. The country about this village, although much parched, was beautifully picturesque, being thickly covered with wood, and agreeably diversified by hill and dale. There were numbers of wandering Foolahs with large herds of cattle, in the vicinity of this village: those people supply the inhabitants of the towns who keep no cattle themselves with milk and butter, in exchange for which they receive cotton cloths, glass beads, and tobacco.

From Fodia Cunda I despatched Lamina, our Sego guide, to the town of Slatee Modiba, to request him to meet us at Madina to-morrow; this man being a relative of the king’s, with whom he has considerable influence, advising him in all affairs of importance, and well known to Lamina, we considered it right to secure his interest, by sending him a small present, and holding out the promise of a suitable reward, should he act in compliance with our wishes.

We left Fodia Cunda at six, on the morning of the 3d, and travelled east, at a smart pace, over a flat country, little wooded and for the most part cultivated; the soil was of a darker colour, and contained more mould and clay than any we had seen since leaving Kayaye. We arrived at Madina at nine, and bivouacked under a large tree, about five hundred yards north of the town.

MEDINA, CAPITAL OF WOOLLI.

_Published Feb. 1825. by John Murray, London._]

Madina is a respectable walled town, containing about two hundred and fifty huts, and from eight hundred to a thousand inhabitants, all Sonikeas; it is the capital of the kingdom of Woolli, and the residence of the king. Outside the walls is a strong stake or palisade fence, about five feet high, which gave to the place the appearance of a large fortified redoubt. The interior of the town was beautifully shaded with large trees of the fig and palm kind, and altogether had a very good outward appearance. There are three gates to it; two in the north, and one in the east, which are shut every night. The interior of the town does not at all accord with its external appearance, being filled with small round grass, and mud huts jumbled together without any regard to order or regularity, and between which are heaps on heaps of filth of every description. The house of the king is separated from those of his subjects by a mud wall about nine feet high, and stands nearly in the centre of the town; that of his son, and some of the chief men are similarly inclosed, but the walls of the latter are not so high. Two wells situate within the wall at the east end of the town, of tolerably good water, supply the inhabitants with that necessary article in sufficient abundance. The ground, to the extent of half a mile all round the town, was cleared, and bore the marks of cultivation. A few large shady evergreen trees, scattered over this plain, relieves the otherwise fatiguing prospect of such an extent of arid surface. At a short distance to the south, lay a large Bushreen town, called Barra Cunda, which might contain from one thousand to one thousand five hundred inhabitants, and was surrounded by a slight stake fence, interwoven with thorny bushes, which is the only defence the followers of Mahomet in this country adopt. This arises from their not engaging in war, and never meeting with any other attack from an invading army than on their provisions, with which they are in general abundantly supplied, being more industrious and more abstemious than the Pagans; a large proportion of whose corn, rice, &c., goes in the purchase of inebriating liquors. The dress of the latter also is neither so good nor so cleanly as that of the former, which is, almost invariably, white or blue. The Sonikeys are careless about their dress or persons, and what with smoking, drinking, and dirt, they are the most filthy set we ever saw.

We observed hanging on a stake, outside the walls of the town, a dress composed of the bark of a tree torn into small shreds, and formed so as to cover the whole body of the person wearing it, who is a sort of bugbear, called Mumbo Jumbo, that occasionally visits all the Mandingo towns, for the purpose of keeping the married women in order. I have been told that the husband who has occasion to find fault with one of his wives, for here every man has as many as his circumstances will admit, either puts on this dress himself, or gets one of his friends to do it, and having made known his intended visit to the town, by shrieking and howling in the woods near it, arrives after sunset at the assembly place, where all the inhabitants are obliged to meet him, with music, singing, and dancing, which continues for some hours, and terminates by his seizing the unfortunate woman, and flogging her most unmercifully in presence of the whole assembly, who only laugh at this horrid performance. We have never had an opportunity of seeing this ourselves, but have heard it from so many, and with such corroborative exactness of description, that we have no doubt of its existence to a much greater extent of blind savage superstition than has been described to us.

Immediately on our arrival, we sent to apprize the king, and requested to be informed at what hour he could receive our visit. We were, however, told that he was then drunk, and could not be seen on business.

Slatee Modiba arrived, bringing us a present of a fine bullock. He also told us the same story, but said he hoped the evening would find the king in a state to receive us.

At length, about five in the afternoon, we went, accompanied by Mr. Burton, Lamina, and Sergeant Tuft; the latter served as interpreter. We found his majesty (if we may so prostitute the title), seated on a low wooden stool, outside the walls of his house, surrounded by all the great men of the town, who, with himself, did not appear to have entirely recovered from the effects of their morning’s debauchery. Having made him a small present, which it is the custom of this country to do, previous to addressing the king on our business, we told him in as few words as possible, the object we had in view in travelling through the country, and the advantages its inhabitants would derive from the existence of a friendly and direct intercourse with the English, who, should no serious difficulties present themselves, would soon make trading voyages into the interior, and furnish them with all European merchandize at a much cheaper rate than they could at present procure them. The only answer we received, was made by his friend Modiba (for he did not say a word himself), and, although expressed in many words, and in very ambiguous terms, might be construed into this, that he always thought the English were the friends of Africa, and would do every thing in his power to facilitate the attainment of their wishes.

As nothing but the common routine of a formal visit of ceremony could, consistent with their customs, take place at the first interview, even had the king been _compos mentis_, we were obliged to take our leave without anything more having been said as to the terms on which we might expect his protection. Modiba, however, told us he would take care that no rum should be drank by Mansa[9] in the morning, previous to our seeing him, and requested we would shew him the present we intended to give; which we promised to do, when it could be prepared.

During the night, one of the natives made an attempt to steal something from one of the tents, and would have succeeded, had not Sergeant Major Lee, observing the bale stirring, fired in the direction, but I believe without effect. This served, at least, to deter others from a similar attempt.

Having selected the present, consisting of amber, coral, bafts blue and white, silver, guns, &c., in all amounting to upwards of five hundred bars, thirty pounds sterling, and submitted them to the inspection of Modiba, who appeared to be pleased with them, we waited on the king on the morning of the 4th, and were shewn into the inner inclosure of the palace, which was, if any thing, more filthy than the rest of the town. Here we found him seated on a lion’s skin, to which were attached a number of grigris, under the shade of a miserable hovel in the shape of a balcony, outside the door of his bed-room, surrounded by four or five of his head men or ministers; and, notwithstanding Modiba’s promise to the contrary, the rum bottle had been in use, to what extent we cannot say, but he, on this occasion, favoured us with his conversation, asking several questions about our country, the Expedition, its object, &c.; all which we answered as briefly and explicitly as possible. When the present was laid before him, he condescended to smile at the amber, but on looking at the dollars and coral for some time, with an air of the greatest indifference, he said something to his own people, and told us that he would not accept of so trifling an offer from such great men, particularly as he had been told we had given more to the king of Katoba, whom he looked on as a very petty chief indeed. Modiba said much to induce him to take it, but to no effect. We therefore returned to the camp leaving him, great as was his avarice, paying more attention to the rum bottle than what had been going forward.

While we were talking to Modiba on the best means of satisfying Mansa, and at the same time those about him, the former made his appearance, coming from the town, attended by about fifty people singing and beating drums. He seated himself under a tree, at a short distance from our camp, and sent Modiba, who had gone to meet him, to let us know he came to pay his respects. When we went to him, he beckoned me to sit beside him, which I did in apparent good humour; after the usual salutations, he begged a piece of muslin to make a dress. This was complied with, when he said, he had brought a bullock for supper, but added that we did not shew ourselves inclined to think well of him, in giving him so poor a present. This, with a great deal more noisy irrelevant matter from himself and attendants, took up nearly half an hour, much to our annoyance. He ended, however, by telling us that he had left the settling of the affair to Modiba, and returned to the town.

In order that more time should not be lost here, we made an addition to the former present of forty-five bars, coral and dollars, and gave it to Modiba to present, as all we would or could give him. He was then drunk, and not to be seen.

In a short hour after this, Mansafarra, the king’s eldest son, came galloping from the town into our camp, attended by five or six people, armed with guns and spears, and, apparently in a great rage, said that he was offended at our not paying him our respects in person, and, although we might think little of him, he was, nevertheless, of as much consequence in the country as his father. We endeavoured to pacify him by appearing in good humour, and was going to give him our hands, when he rode off, in as great a hurry as he came, having first made one of his men throw down a pile of our arms, which was standing near them. He was not contented with this indifference on our part, and shortly returned on foot, attended as before. The first person he met was Private Robinson, lying on the ground. To him he gave two or three kicks, and would have fired his musket at him, had he not been prevented by some of his own people. On this occasion, we, with much difficulty, kept our temper, but as the fellow was beastly drunk, and we were aware of the serious consequences that might arise from any violence offered to one of the royal family, we overlooked the insult, and merely directed the men to stand to their arms, and take no notice of him. He did not like the appearance things bore at that moment, and went off as before.

The people of the town, seeing us pay such little attention to the insult offered by their prince, no doubt thought they might follow his example with impunity, and therefore endeavoured to run away with every thing they could lay their hands on. This was too much. We could bear it no longer, and ordered the men to load and fall in, and, as it was nearly sunset, we had the whole of the baggage removed to some distance from the tree we had been sitting under, and placed triple sentinels. While the men were employed at this, the natives stole two horses, one ass, a bullock, and a goat. The horses, ass, and goat were recovered, but the bullock we never heard of.

A strict watch during the night prevented the possibility of any attempt at theft, and on the morning of the 5th, Modiba came at an early hour, to say that the king was not satisfied at the addition made to the present, and, unless we gave him more, he would send his people to help themselves. Entreaties were to be borne with, but threats, and of this nature too, required decisive steps. We consequently directed Modeba to let the king know he might come as soon as he pleased, when we should be ready to give him the reception his appearance might merit. The bugles then sounded to arms; the animals were collected; and the men formed a hollow square round them and the baggage.

Modiba, who was more than astonished at our answer and preparations, went off without saying a word; but returned in a few minutes, to request we would give him ten dollars for himself, in part payment of two horses we had purchased from him the day before, and for which he had agreed to take an order on the Commissariat Officer at St. Mary’s, River Gambia. This we complied with, and are satisfied he gave them to Mansa. We however did not let him know, that we thought so. At length we were informed that guides would be provided for us, and we might proceed in the morning. In the evening, Mansa sent us a bullock, in place of the one which was stolen.

The guides joined us in the morning of the 6th, and all things being ready, we commenced moving from Madina, that nest of thieves; but the front division had scarcely left the ground, when an immense mob collected, in order to plunder if possible. Messrs. Dochard and Partarrieau remained with the camel division, which was to bring up the rear, and had much difficulty in keeping the natives from actually forcing some things out of our men’s hands. A small medicine-chest was purloined by one of them, who had run some distance with it before it was missed. Private Ferrier overtook and knocked the fellow down, and would have shot some others who came to his assistance, had not Mr. Dochard prevented him by laying hold of his firelock. Such a barefaced and determined set of thieves we never met.

We travelled SE. and by E. thirteen miles, to the village of Bambako. The path this day was over a hard yellow clay soil, mixed with small quartz pebbles, and much broken into deep ruts by the rains; the whole distance, to within a quarter of a mile, covered with loose brushwood and a few large trees of the acacia species.

Corporal Pickard, a European, was so ill as to be unable to walk, and private Richmond, a native soldier, was nearly as bad; they were carried forward on two of the officers’ horses. Bambako is a very miserable village indeed, not containing more than twenty huts of the poorest description: the situation of it, however, in some measure made up for its wretched appearance; it was on the summit of an elevated plain, beautifully covered with some of those large trees which bear the cotton, already mentioned, and a great number of baobabs, tamarinds, and palm trees; and it is plentifully supplied with good water, from wells twelve fathoms deep. We were able to purchase there one horse, two asses, three goats, and some corn for the animals. The horses and asses were a very welcome and necessary supply at that moment, as we had lost by death, during the day’s march, three horses.

We passed the night there, and moved forward to the SSE. at seven on the morning of the 7th. The soil and appearance of the country the same as that of the preceding day’s march. The path was not so much broken, and the animals travelled better. We reached Canopê at eleven, A.M., where we halted in order to refresh the men and animals, and to purchase, if possible, a few asses, which we were told by our guides were here in great numbers. Large prices, in amber, coral, and blue baft, induced the natives to sell us seven very good ones. We had much difficulty in procuring water here, not in consequence of any want of it at the place, but because the people would not allow us to approach the wells, alleging that it was their property, and we must pay for it as well as for the other commodities of life. Remonstrance, and an inclination to force on our part, together with the interference of our guides, at length obtained it; not, however, before it was much wanted.

We left that inhospitable village at three, P.M., the same day, and travelled in the same direction over a very finely diversified country, for two hours, when we arrived at a small village called Kussaye, or Metofodia Cunda, having passed, about two miles before it, the ruins of a very large walled town, called Maja Cunda. This was formerly the residence of Modiba, the man who assisted us at Woolli, but was destroyed and abandoned by him, in consequence of the surrounding soil not producing good crops; it is very light and sandy, and mixed with lumps of a stiff white clay, having much the appearance of pipe-clay.

The occurrences at Madina, the hurry at leaving it, and the very great want of means of conveyance which we experienced, together with the confused state of the baggage in consequence of such want, and the indisposition of some of the men, induced us to determine on halting here for a day, in order to set all things right: we therefore took up our bivouac under the shade of some large trees outside the town, the chief of which was extremely kind and attentive to all our wants, inasmuch as his circumstances would admit.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 7: Having twenty-two animals’ loads.]

[Footnote 8: With nineteen each.]

[Footnote 9: Title of the kings of Woolli.]